George Santayana had irrational faith in reason - I have irrational faith in TV.

Monday, July 7, 2014

24 Season 9.11: Partial Redemption

The biggest news in terms of character development in 24 episode 9.11 is the partial redemption - not of Jack, who is always redeemed, 100%, as far as I'm concerned - but of Mark, who dug himself a pretty deep hole not only with the United States, but Audrey, if she ever found out what he tried to do with Jack.

But Mark showed some impressive smarts and bravery as he gets into the Russian compound and even gets the drop on Mr. Clean, aka the head of this Russian business, who is meaner than Mr. Clean and also has a mustache and may be a rogue Russian to boot. Unfortunately, he dies in the struggle, which leaves Jack without a way finding out where Chang might be.

Jack deserves credit in this operation as well for seeing that Mark could still have value, and could do more good outside than inside a holding facility for traitors as President Heller wanted. Which brings us to Audrey.

In another great, emotionally satisfying conversation with Jack - they've been several this fine season - Audrey tells Jack that she never hated him, and encouraged him to do whatever he needed to do to save the world. You can almost believe that the two could work well together again. After all, though Mark redeemed himself as an American operative, it's not likely that Audrey would ever forgive him for what he tried to have done to Jack. So there's a path we can see for Jack and Audrey to get back together. (Full disclosure: I still prefer Jack and Kate.)

Except now it looks as if Chang has her again - the very same Chang that made her catatonic in the first place. So, for Jack and Audrey to get together, he has to not only rescue her, but make sure she's not too traumatized again by Chang. Some high value personal resolutions ahead in the season finale next week, not to mention the state of world peace. I'll be watching every ticking second.

About Me

Paul Levinson, PhD, is Professor of Communication &
Media Studies at Fordham University in New York City.His 8 nonfiction books, including The Soft Edge (1997),
Digital McLuhan (1999), Realspace (2003), Cellphone (2004), and New New Media (2009, 2nd edition 2012), have been the
subject of major articles in the New York Times, Wired, the Christian Science
Monitor, and have been translated into 12 languages. His science fiction novels include The Silk Code (1999, ebook 2012), Borrowed Tides (2001), TheConsciousness Plague (2002, 2013), The Pixel Eye (2003), The Plot To SaveSocrates (2006, ebook 2012), and Unburning Alexandria (2013).His short stories
have been nominated for Nebula, Hugo, Edgar, and Sturgeon Awards.Paul Levinson appears on "The
O'Reilly Factor" (Fox News), "The CBS Evening News,"“NewsHour with Jim Lehrer” (PBS),“Nightline” (ABC), NPR, and numerous
national and international TV and radio programs. His 1972 album, Twice Upon a Rhyme, was re-issued in 2009 (CD) and 2010 (remastered vinyl). He reviews the best of
television in his InfiniteRegress.tv blog, and was listed in The Chronicle of
Higher Education’s “Top 10 Academic Twitterers” in 2009.

e-mail received from a reader:Dear Paul, I just dreamed of airships flying between raindrops. I just returned from 2042 CE, where I sold my hardcover copy of The Plot to Save Socrates for seventy million Neo-Euros, because it had your response to this e-mail from way back in 2007 scotch-taped onto the inside of the cover. A Paul Levinson collector paid top Neo-Euro, because of the authentic archaic e-mail printout from you. It turns out that not many of your e-mails from before your tenure as CEO of HBO/Cinemax and terms as United Nations Secretary General will survive that far into the future. So, please respond to this e-mail, to help found my great-grandchildren's fortune. My Will will stipulate that they must share with your great grandchidren. Thanks! Tom